1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to electrical brewers with removable brew baskets and brew cycles that include a seeping period and to removable brew baskets.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Commercial beverage brewers of the type that have a source of hot water, a dispense system for selectively dispensing the hot water onto a beverage ingredient, i.e. ground coffee in the case of a coffee brewer, contained with a removable brew basket and a controller for controlling the dispense system and other aspects of brewing are well known. The hot water mixes with the beverage ingredient within the brew basket to form the beverage and then drains out of a drain hole at the bottom of the brew basket into removably mounted mating dispenser located beneath the dispenser. If desired, after completion of a brew cycle, the filled dispenser is removed and replaced by an identical empty dispenser and the brew basket with the spent beverage ingredient is replaced by one with a new filter paper and a new load of fresh, dry, beverage ingredient so that a new brew cycle may be immediately commenced.
In the case of commercial tea brewers, the preferred brew cycle includes a seeping period during which the hot water, perhaps the entire amount of the hot water for the batch size being made, is held within the brew basket. Such a seeping period can also be used with making coffee or other beverages, but coffee is generally made without a seeping period. In some tea brewers, the brew basket is not generally removable from the brewer and is integrated with an automatically controlled drain valve which is closed during the seeping period of the brew cycle. In other tea brewers, it is know to provide a siphon system to create a seeping period.
The removable brew basket used only for coffee or other beverages not requiring a seeping period has an open drain hole. Beverage percolating downwardly through the layer of beverage passes continuously from the open drain hole at the bottom of the brew basket while new hot water is being added to the top.
Because of the different requirements for making tea and making coffee and other like beverages, it is customary for coffee shops, restaurants, caterers and other commercial establishments to use two separate brewers for making tea and coffee. One is capable of seeping, fits with a brew basket with sufficient capacity to hold an entire batch of tea being made and is only used for tea. The other one does not require a seeping period, uses a relatively smaller brew basket with a capacity much less than the batch quantity being made during the brew cycle.
In addition to the additional expense of operating, cleaning and maintaining two separate machines, the two machines take up twice as much space as one machine and require an additional electrical and plumbing connection to a public water supply. In addition, even though there are two machines, as a group they still lack versatility and flexibility; if there is a higher demand for tea instead of coffee, the coffee dedicated brewer cannot be properly used to help meet the demand for tea.